


To Protect and Serve

by dsa_archivist



Category: due South
Genre: Challenge Response, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-03-25
Updated: 2000-03-25
Packaged: 2018-11-10 06:27:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11121729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dsa_archivist/pseuds/dsa_archivist
Summary: Dief is everyone's friend, we'd like to keep him around for a while.





	To Protect and Serve

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Speranza, the archivist: this story was once archived at [Due South Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Due_South_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Due South Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/duesoutharchive).

From: "Amanda A

Title: "To Protect and Serve"  
Author: Amanda A. Tikkanen  
Rating: G  
Pairings: None  
Spoilers:If you know Fraser has Dief and they are in Chicago, you're golden.  
Teaser: Dief's everybody's friend. We'd like to keep him around for a  
while.  
Disclaimer: Not mine. All Recognizable characters belong to Alliance  
Entertainment and Paul Haggis.  
Authors note: No Beta. Sorry. All things that look like typos and errors  
are not. They were lovingly placed for your amusement. This came to me  
suddenly while looking for K-9 info. Thanks to Sher, Jim and Deb for the  
help titling this thing. Feedback is greatly appreciated at  


atikkane@online.emich.edu or uberpest@hotmail.com.  
  
Dedication: To King, Callahan, Caesar, Sabre, Charlie, Ismar, Rondo,  
Ralph,  
Kai, Copper, Ajax, Laser, Rocky and all the K-9s and Police  
Service Dogs who  
serve us every day for little more than a little  
more than a bowl of kibble  
and a pat on the head. Especially those  
who made the ultimate sacrifice for  
our safety. We salute you.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~  
"No, Fraser, you've got to keep the blindfold on, it's a surprise,"  
Detective Ray Vecchio led his unofficial RCMP partner through the bullpen  
of  
the 27th precinct by a wrist.  
  
"I don't understand, Ray. What's going on?" Fraser asked. He tried to  
figure out the situation on his own, categorizing every sound, every  
smell  
that came to him. The rustle of papers on Elaine's desk, the  
squeak of a  
chair long in need of replacement, dog nails on the floor.  
Stale coffee,  
old take-out boxes, dogs. Dogs in the plural. One was  
Dief, the others were  
a trio of German Shepherds.  
  
Something was afoot. And the Precinct's K-9 division was involved somehow.  
  
"Ray, what are you up to?"  
  
"You'll see," Ray responded, then aside to someone else, "Ready?" Someone  
mumbled an affirmative and ray pulled the blindfold from Ben's eyes.  
  
Ben winced slightly at the intensity of the overhead lights. Once his  
eyes  
refocused he noticed Ruffus, Margo, Rebel and their handlers,  
the  
K-9's. Joining them was his own canine partner, Diefenbaker.  
In front of  
Dief was a package, obviously containing a garment of  
some type.  
  
The tag read "To Fraser and Diefenbaker. From all of your friends"  
  
"What's this all about?"  
  
"Open the present and find out," Ray answered without actually providing  
any  
information.  
  
Ben squatted to Dief who was already nosing at the package. "What do  
you  
think it is anyway?"  
  
Dief yipped and wagged his tail. He wanted to know what it was too. Only  
he couldn't open it.  
  
Fraser carefully removed the paper wrappings to reveal a jacket. It was  
much like the one he used for his sled dogs when on the trail and it  
was  
deeply cold. The difference was this jacket was made of ballistic  
nylon-- a  
canine bulletproof vest.  
  
Fraser didn't speak for a minute, so Ray spoke up.  
  
"We suddenly realized Dief was the only one on the crew without a flack  
jacket."  
  
"But, Ray, he's not on your force. He's not even a Canadian Police Service  
dog. He's the wrong breed. They won't let him be official."  
  
"So, he still needs a jacket. So we got him one."  
  
"You got the department to pay for a dog that isn't even your dog?"  
  
"Nope. We figured the RCMP wouldn't front the cash and we weren't allowed.  
So, since we all like Dief so much, we took a collection and got him  
his  
own. I mean we had to. We know how much he means to you. And  
all of us.  
We couldn't lose him. He's one of our own."  
  
Ray looked closely at Fraser, and noticed something slightly out of the  
ordinary with Fraser's face.  
  
His eyes were lined with red; on the verge of tears.  
  
"You okay buddy?"  
  
"Yes, Ray."  
  
Ben patted Dief on the head. Looking around at all the others there he  
saw  
how much his friendship meant to the others. Wiping a tear from  
the corner  
of his eye he spoke.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The end.


End file.
